May 9, 2013

Recently I was at practice participating in a race-like drill when my coach was standing at turn 4 yelling, “Fast feet! Fast feet! Fast feet!” at each skater who passed. After several times going through this drill of 1 minute races I thought, “Easier said than done.” In my ear I heard the encouraging chant of “Fast feet!” yet my legs felt...

Mar 6, 2013

How many of us have been at practice and about 20 minutes in you feel like your lower back is killing you? You try to stretch it out between drills but inevitably you’re going to have to get back to skating low and controlled in the same direction and the pain will return. It seems that others are complaining of the same pain so you shrug it off as a side...

Feb 12, 2013

It’s a simple thing. A name. A first name, a last name, a nickname— we all have them. We were born with them. They were chosen for us and it became part of us— it became what identified us. Who we were. How we are known. So what happens when you have to pick a new one? When you join derby you have a sense of who you are. Your friends and family know...

Jan 11, 2013

If you are involved in roller derby you know that once you dip that toe into the pool you quickly find yourself over your head. It starts with a couple of practices a week and then turns into practices, meetings, events, parties, and projects. It can truly take over your life. But what about when life circumstances or an injury forces the derby out of your...

Jan 1, 2013

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year … Why is it the most wonderful time of the year? For the league members of QCRG, we know there are only a few days until our season begins. Our home and travel teams are at practice weekly, the league is practicing twice weekly and the anticipation of all that is possible for season 7 is spread out before all...

Dec 24, 2012

Have you ever been mid-way through a bout or scrimmage and thought, “When is this going to be over?” or “It’s only been 10 minutes? I’m dying!” If so then that likely means you’ve got to improve your endurance. Many times the losing team is determined by who lost steam during the final 20 minutes of play. Tired skaters have slower reaction times...

Nov 20, 2012

“I’m joining roller derby!” The first time you tell someone you’re going to do it or are thinking if doing it, you get the look. The “what are you NUTS?!” But you persevere because you want it. You work, you tryout for a team and you hope. You hope you impressed the people making decisions, your potential teammates and –...

Nov 6, 2012

When you walk into the rink on bout day, you are greeted by a few things: the smiling girls at the will call window, the merch booth, people milling around trying to find seats, and a small sign hanging on the ceiling below the projectors that reads, “Don’t toss bread above sign.” If you’re thinking, “Toss bread? Well that’s a silly thing to do,”...

Oct 1, 2012

Draft month is one of the most exciting times in QCRG. The skaters of Queens Court who want to join the Saucies, Kats, Dollies or Knockouts have been working hard for a long time. They’ve met all the teams. They’ve practiced and bouted and crossed their fingers that team captains have noticed them. It all comes down to Thursday, October 4 when QCRG will...

Sep 13, 2012

Are you heading to the Falls this weekend to catch the WFTDA North Central Region playoff action? We sure hope so. The action on the track is going to be amazing. But this is roller derby. We play hard and then, after the game, we play even harder. So here is a schedule of what’s going on outside of the Niagara Conference & Event Center. Thursday,...

Aug 19, 2012

The Arch Rival Roller Girls All Stars have been on an upward trajectory in 2012, closing the regular season with a 12-2 record overall and a 7-1 record in the North Central. In 2011, the ARRG All Stars finished the post season ranked 6th in the North Central. “Finishing 6th at North Central Regionals was bitter-sweet for us. We came into that tournament ranked...

Aug 14, 2012

So you’ve heard about this fabulous tournament QCRG is hosting. You know that there is going to be some amazing roller derby that weekend. But you aren’t quite sure who is coming and what you might see between the teams. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We will be featuring the leagues who will be playing in the WFTDA NC Region Playoffs in...

Jul 27, 2012

Yep. The dreaded Sunday has arrived. Last day of RollerCon. No fun day indeed. Well, maybe a little fun. After all, I got to work 3 bouts when I only expected to be part of 1. I was a Head NSO and Wrangler in one of them – both of which were firsts for me. I got to watch some of Team USA vs. Philly which was amazing to see. The strategies and level of play...

Jul 24, 2012

It’s the Safety Dance … So if you know me from QCRG, you know I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to safety gear. In particular, helmets. It’s all due to my injury my first season (grade IV concussion with a brain bleed). As I mentioned, yesterday I was a ref for the first time at RC12. During equipment check, I pointed out to one of the...

Jul 23, 2012

Take fifteen skaters and add in a coach and a ref. Toss in three fans for good measure. Stuff them in five cars filled with snacks and you’ve got a roller derby road trip. This isn’t my first road trip with the Furies. This isn’t even my first road trip as a non-skater. I’ve been named as an alternate before. But that time I prepared like a skater –...

Jul 16, 2012

In derby your best defense is a tight wall of at least two players, preferably three or even four. A one on one might work for a while, but not long enough. Working together defensively, a team moves as one – shifting across the track, covering empty spaces and cycling to relieve the engaged blocker. Working together offensively, a team breaks up walls and...

Jun 12, 2012

So, you think you’ve got what it takes to be a derby girl. You’ve got skates, gear, maybe a tattoo or two, and some attitude. That’s great. But eventually, everyone has to take off the helmet and close the competitive derby skater chapter of their life. Do you have what it takes to survive life after skating derby? Sometimes it’s an...

May 24, 2012

At each home bout, QCRG donates a portion of its proceeds to a local charity. We pick ones that are close to our heart, just like you do, when you are donating your money. Derby is about female empowerment and so it was natural for us to choose organizations with a similar focus. Some organizations specifically benefit women like the Girls Sports Foundation and...

May 1, 2012

So, you’ve got your skates and your pads and your helmet. You’ve even got a fancy newfangled bright green mouth guard. You are ready to play some roller derby, right? What else do you need? Other than some awesome booty shorts and a cute pair of socks. Well, you’re going to need endurance. Even if you aren’t a jammer. You need to...

Mar 27, 2012

So, you’re thinking about joining roller derby, huh? Maybe you’ve been to a bout and said to yourself: “I could do that.” But then that same skater you were watching flies out of bounds and crashes into the pads (or one of the outside refs) and then you’re thinking: hmm, maybe not. But you can’t stop thinking that it looks...

Mar 13, 2012

One of QCRG’s newest sponsors this year is Martinsville Emporium, a unique jewel nestled in a historic section of North Tonawanda. You’d never know it from the traffic and surrounding businesses, but Martinsville Emporium gives a nod to a simpler time when chickens wandered the yard, sewing machines worked by treadle and wash was done by hand. Most things...

Feb 6, 2012

QCRG’s own Lake Effect Furies, usually noted for being icy cool, spiced things up a bit and brought some real heat this past Saturday evening. That was the night of the team’s latest fundraiser, the “Hot & Frosty Furies Chili Cook Off.” A crowd of over 150 people gathered to celebrate Buffalo’s All-Star roller derby team and...

Jan 31, 2012

It’s well known that once involved, roller derby consumes your life; in a good way of course. But in the case of Mama Chops, roller derby invaded her family. It was Her Ass Her that put the Roller Derby Bug in Mama Chops’ ear (then Kari Lambright) over a drink and a tuna melt (that got stuck to Her Ass Her’s sleeve) at a local bar. Training camp was coming...

Jan 19, 2012

The skaters who make up the Queen City Roller Girls, Western New York’s first all-female roller derby league, are a group of women that are difficult to efine. It is this very challenge to traditional labels and stereotypes which league members find attractive about the sport. Each time the skaters enter the track they battle against the established western...

Happy New Year!  It’s been a long dark two months since we rung your bells at the Rainbow Rink but we are back.  On Saturday, January 7th, come “Kick out the Jams” with the Nickel City Knockouts and the defending 2011 Queen City Cup Champs the Devil Dollies. Sure to be a grudge match, the Nickel City Knockouts ruled the roost with Team USA alternate Addy...